Omaha daily bee., 1887-12-23
REDDY BARRETT CONFESSES.
Story Of the Murder Of Street Car
Driver Tollefsen.
A MOST coLD.eLoooeo CRIME
One OF the Brothers Files Il Notch in
His Revolver to Indicate That
He Had Killed His
First Man.
Preached on His Brothers.

MINNEApoLls, Mimi, Dec. Especial
Telegram to the BEE. The twelfth Juror in
the trial of Barrett for the murder of Street
Car Driver Tollefsen was secured late yes
terday and the trial begun to-day. The pros
ccution IN opening told how the three Bar
rets-Peter, Tim and Henry-left Henry Bar
ret's house on Fort avenue, went up town to
see the big Boston clothing store fire, watched
it awhile and returned on Cedar avenue
car; how they put plank across the track
near the Hastings and Dakota crossing, but
not having the nerve to attack the
driver, McKennon, whose car was
the first to strike the plank, how
they afterwards approached Driver Tollefson,
demanded his money box and were denied it,
how Peter Barrett, with a 32-caliI'rc revo-
yer, shot Tollefson in the leg, followed few
seconds later, and after a struggle, by Tim
Barrett, armed with 3s-calibre Smith II
Wesson revolver, shooting the driver in the
breast and leaving him dead upon the car.
''The murderers,n continued MIR. Jamison,
escaped into the darkness of Layman's Gem
| ctery, fleeing from the dead into the very
presence of death. The murderers recrossed
Lake street. went to their home on First ave-
| nue. and slept as soundly as If they had not
committed one of the most cold-blooded and
| cowardly murders ever heard of. The cash
box was torn open and most of the tickets
| were put in hole under the house. Some of
| the tickets were thrown outside the house:
| some of them, with the box, were thrown into
| Mud lake, The recital was quite graphic.
| 1t was the first official intmation of what had
| been discovered.
Reddy Barrett was on the stand all the
| morning and he told the story of the murder.
| He said that on the night of the murder he
| went up town with his two brothers When
| they came back they first placed plank on
the line and threw off car, but they were
| afraid to rob the driver. Then they met
| Tollefson driving the next car opposite Lay
mans cemetery. Tim stopped the car. Tol-
| lefsOn grabbed both Pete and Tim. They
tried to get away but could not Then Pete
| fired low and ran away. Then Tim fired and
| joined them in the cemetery.
He said: II killed him! l killed him!
shot him through the head"
Then the boys went home. Tim had the
| drivers cash box. He took the money. They
buried the box in the cellar. Two days after
they cut it in pieces and took it out tC
| Mud lake where they distributed it and the
checks.
Reddy also testified that few days afte,
the murder Tim filed notch in his revolver
saying at the time that it was the first mar
he had killed in Minneapolis. He proposed
to have more of them.
Reddy put the blame for the whole bat
business upon his mother who, he says, edu
Gated the boys up in crooked ways. He sale
she was worth thousands and all of it wa
the fruits of her boys crimes. He was seem
ingly very much overcome by the part h,
had played in the tragedy and said for MI
wife's sake he had determined to make
| clean hreast Of IL